OVERVIEW:Carroll is a big, strong athlete with great intangibles. He has a good combination of size, strength and athleticism for the position. Nolan is a tough, hardnosed competitor who needs to refine his secondary techniques. He is best in press man coverage, where he can jam and re-route receivers. Carroll is an intelligent player to grasp football concepts but lacks great natural instincts. He is a willing run support player but can be inconsistent making the sure open-field tackle. He possesses average ball skills and has missed several opportunities to make the interception. Carroll has tools to develop but needs time to improve his overall reactions in combination coverages.

STRENGTHS:Big corner with a muscular build. Possesses smooth hips and changes direction without losing momentum. Explodes out of his breaks and has an extra gear to close the gap in man coverage. Gets his hands on receivers at the line and re-routes them in press coverage. Vocal leader who pumps up his teammates.

WEAKNESSES:A bit late recognizing routes and gets caught looking into the backfield too often. Over-aggressive at times and is susceptible to double moves. Does not have good hands and struggles to make plays when the ball is in the air. Misses too many tackles in the open field and is inconsistent in run support.

Quote:

"EXPERT COMMENTS"

ESPN SCOUTS INCCarroll is blessed with great size and top-end speed. He has all the physical skills to develop into a very good starter, but he lacks natural instincts at times and can get caught out of position. In addition, he only played two games this year before breaking his leg, but if able to recover, he will bring excellent return at this spot..

WalterFootball.comA reach, but not a big deal in the middle of Round 5. This doesn't fill much of a need either. (Pick Grade: C)

Can't say I dislike the pick..but I'm starting to wonder what we are going to do about safety. Has Myron Rolle been drafted yet?

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Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:20 am

The Hen

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Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

Quote:

Read & React: Still developing in this area. Understands what the receiver is trying to do and has experience at that position. At his best facing the quarterback and has a good burst to close. Has the straight-line speed to chase receivers across the field.

Man Coverage: Physical defender. Will use his hands and body lean to disrupt the timing and route-running of his opponent. A bit high in his backpedal and has a hitch when turning, which negates his straight-line speed. Good size to handle bigger receivers on slants and crossing patterns.

Zone Coverage: Improving awareness for zone coverage. Keeps an eye on the underneath receiver and but protects the back end as well. Comes off his man to react to the ball being thrown, but is not so aggressive as to open holes for the quarterback.

Closing/Recovery: More fast than he is quick, but has enough of a burst to close downhill and knock the ball away. Competes for the jump ball and has an explosive vertical. Quick, active hands to knock the ball free, but was moved to cornerback from receiver for a reason -- had zero interceptions and nine passes broken up the 2008-09 seasons. Has to show better hand-eye coordination and a greater focus on interceptions than the big hit.

Run Support: Fights through receiver blocks to get involved, but is still learning the nuances of the position. Only marginal rip technique to disengage. Good agility to elude bigger blockers. Willing open-field tackler that provides a pop upon contact.

Tackling: One of his better areas. Physical and makes the secure stop in the open field. Good strength for the drag-down tackle. Times hits well and can knock the ball out of the receiver's hands to break up the pass. Quality special teams defender that posted seven tackles in 2007.

Intangibles: Has struggled with durability throughout his career and missed all but two games in 2009 with a broken right tibia. Underwent surgery on September 18 to have a screw inserted to stabilize the bone. Emerged as a team leader and was voted captain in 2009. Graduated with a degree in Family Science in December.

No, Myron is still on the board, but Myron is more of a SS. I had Nolan in my next to last mock to Miami in the 6th round I believe.

He a big CB and I read that Miami liked him. Ball skills are not where you would like them to be, but he a big, physical CB that has good cover skills.

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Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:23 am

MNDolfan

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Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

Miami has drafted four defensive players -- I believe all 4 were team captains at their respective schools. I like the leadership angle and high quality men we are drafting.

Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:27 am

fonzy

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Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:12 amPosts: 347

Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

phinsfansc wrote:

No, Myron is still on the board, but Myron is more of a SS. I had Nolan in my next to last mock to Miami in the 6th round I believe.

He a big CB and I read that Miami liked him. Ball skills are not where you would like them to be, but he a big, physical CB that has good cover skills.

I've heard Myron has great coverage skills tho, with his size I could see him moving to FS. I think it's just a question of his speed, I think he ran a 4.5

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Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:28 am

Phin

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Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

Ok so with Will Allen, Jason Allen, Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, and Evan Oglesby, where does Nolan fit in? I'm a little confused by the pick. I thought for a moment that he might be considered at safety, but after reading his bio, it doesn't sound like that is the case. I wonder if they are now planning on switching Jason Allen back to FS this year?

Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:31 am

phinsfansc

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Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:14 pmPosts: 3981Location: Columbia, SC

Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

fonzy wrote:

phinsfansc wrote:

No, Myron is still on the board, but Myron is more of a SS. I had Nolan in my next to last mock to Miami in the 6th round I believe.

He a big CB and I read that Miami liked him. Ball skills are not where you would like them to be, but he a big, physical CB that has good cover skills.

I've heard Myron has great coverage skills tho, with his size I could see him moving to FS. I think it's just a question of his speed, I think he ran a 4.5

Myron ran a 4.5 at his Pro Day and ran a 4.67 at the combine. Myron had 1 career interceptions at FSU and I got to see Myron play a lot as I am an FSU fan. He would be an excellent SS, but he does not have the ball skills in regards to FS.

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Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:38 am

AQNOR

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Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

Quote:

The Dolphins could use a free safety, but also have just four cornerbacks on the roster - Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Will Allen and Jason Allen.

“They told me they want me to come in and compete at corner,” Carroll said, adding he’s played some safety.

A lot of these picks we aren't going to understand right away. I feel like we're giving Mike Nolan the chance to build his defense in the direction he would envision. Its likely that our drafted players from the past couple years aren't what he is looking for & it'll be a while before we see how things play out

Judging from what Nolan has done with the little that he had in Denver, I encourage the opportunity to gain defensive picks in this draft

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Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:46 am

1984phins

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Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

Safety is a huge hole on this team. We still haven't drafted one yet. Also, there's been like 13 safetys picked so far.

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Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:52 am

wkloiber13

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Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

Phin wrote:

Ok so with Will Allen, Jason Allen, Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, and Evan Oglesby, where does Nolan fit in? I'm a little confused by the pick. I thought for a moment that he might be considered at safety, but after reading his bio, it doesn't sound like that is the case. I wonder if they are now planning on switching Jason Allen back to FS this year?

I think Jason Allen is finally on his way out of Miami. He could never find a position that fit him and was a bust from the get go. It seems like every new staff that came in tried to find a spot for him but couldn't. Maybe the Trifecta is ready to put an end to this experiment?

Sat Apr 24, 2010 3:29 pm

AQNOR

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Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

As has been mentioned before Jason seems to play ok on the field when he has a chance and is good on special teams. It will not hurt my feelings if he stays on in that capacity.

Sat Apr 24, 2010 4:25 pm

AQNOR

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Re: Nolan Carroll (CB) -5th round pick

Quote:

• Maryland cornerback Nolan Carroll: ``Was off most teams' radars,'' Mayock said, partly because he broke his leg in the second game of 2009. A former receiver, he had no career interceptions and ``instincts and production'' are lacking, Pro Football Weekly said. But ESPN's Scouts Inc. said Carroll ``has all the physical skills to develop into a very good starter. Great size and top-end speed.'' Will battle Jason Allen for the fourth cornerback job.